5 Tips for Removing the Most Horrifying Halloween Stains

Now that the big day has passed, we’ve scared up our best stain-removal secrets for getting your Halloween costumes frighteningly clean.1. Hair gel and hair spray
That slicked back vampire ‘do stayed in place all night. Unfortunately, so did the sticky stain on your collar. Before washing, scrape away any remaining product, then spray on stain remover and wash in hot water.

2. Chocolate
Carefully scrape off as much of the chocolate as possible without grinding the stain deeper into the fabric. Apply stain remover and wash. Wash again if necessary with fabric- or color-safe bleach.

3. Lipstick and oil-based Halloween makeup
Dab a small amount of makeup remover or rubbing alcohol on inside seam to test the fabric for color-safeness. If the color hasn’t changed after 10 minutes, use a washcloth to dampen the stain with remover or alcohol. Dab the stain with a dry paper towel until it no longer picks up any makeup. Treat with stain remover and wash in warm water. Re-treat and rewash if the stain remains.

4. Chewing gum
Rub an ice cube over the stain until it freezes and hardens. Scrape off as much of the hardened gum as you can without rubbing it deeper into the fabric. Dab with dry-cleaning solvent if you have some on hand; otherwise, apply stain remover and wash.

5. Hair dye
For bleach-safe fabrics, soak the item in a mixture of ¼ cup chlorine bleach to a gallon of cold water. After 30 minutes, rinse and wash. For other fabrics, replace the bleach with a cup of ammonia. Stretch the stained area over a bucket and pour solution onto it, then rise and wash.